Barb, you're probably not cracked. I've noticed a lot of writers of unusual and awesome historicals somehow fail to translate that to contemporary.

Oh for the love of all that's good and holy. A published friend of mine, who writes dark paranormal romances, just got a reader letter where the reader "loves" her books, but is concerned because each book gets less and less "safe," and I quote, "really bad things happen to 'good' characters, 'nice' characters turn out to be the absolute worst of betrayers--"

Remember, she loves everything about the series-- the plots, the character development, the interactions, but she needs to know that the main/key characters are safe--that nothing too bad will happen to them during the book and she wants my friend to write her and let her know if she's going to continue down this path.

What

The

Fuck??

This is what makes my head absolutely want to explode. That the average romance reader, in particular, has become so utterly and completely milquetoast in their expectations, that they want their favorite authors to write stories that fit within their limited parameters and world views.

I mean, doesn't this reader get it? So far, in this series, my friend has done some pretty hideous things to both lead characters and secondary characters who are "nice," but in the end, the hero and heroine get their HEA-- and thing is, the payoff is so much better for the trials the couple's endured. That's what makes stories like these work.

The really sad part is, as both a writer and a reader (with respect to romance, at any rate) I'm in the minority. I know this. And still, I'm like freakin' Don Quixote, tilting at those damned windmills.

I can't even close the rant tag on this one, because it remains permanently open.

Feh.

Ah, Barb. Reader obviously not a fan of the Joss et Minear method of character-life.

Let it go, doll. For every person who needs their books lightly toasted and served with a side of saccharine jelly, there's three who put the toaster on burnt, and served it with some clotted character-death cream with antihero jam.

Woo!

For every person who needs their books lightly toasted and served with a side of saccharine jelly, there's three who put the toaster on burnt

Do you really think that's true, proportion-wise? I would expect that for every *one* reader who likes shades of grey and good characters doing bad things for (maybe) good reasons and a healthy dash of pain, there's probably *25* readers who want to know that Everything Will Be Fine For My Woobie And His Heroine, So Please Don't Write Anything That Might Make Me Worry, Even If You Resolve It In The End, Because I Don't Like That Scary Feeling For Even A Few Chapters.

t edit Personally, every time I forget that not everyone was warped by Joss and Tim (and DC comics when they were good and full of pain), I'm reminded by something like "Dumb and Dumber" going to #1. Or "Forest Gump" winning the Oscar over "Pulp Fiction."

Other people just don't like the stuff that we do. Not in the proportions we do, at least.

I think it depends on the genre and even the sub-genre, Tep. Like I said in my rant, I think romance readers in particular, don't want "bad" or "real" in their stories, not one little bit. Or if bad happens, let it be to, you know, the bad people.

This same friend also got shit for her series from paranormal romance fans because she had the utter crust and temerity to make the vampires, for the most part, eeeeeeeeeeee-vil.

Or "Forest Gump" winning the Oscar over "Pulp Fiction."

Have you ever read the book? Forrest is a real asshole.

This same friend also got shit for her series from paranormal romance fans because she had the utter crust and temerity to make the vampires, for the most part, eeeeeeeeeeee-vil.

Is this Alyssa Day? If so, I was impressed with how ULTRA-evil she made the vamps without actually going over the top.

Yeah-- she really goes some dark places with her books and it's not going to be getting any better with the next one. I love that about her.

Let it go, doll. For every person who needs their books lightly toasted and served with a side of saccharine jelly, there's three who put the toaster on burnt, and served it with some clotted character-death cream with antihero jam.

By the way, I love this line and may have to marry it.

she needs to know that the main/key characters are safe--that nothing too bad will happen to them during the book and she wants my friend to write her and let her know if she's going to continue down this path.

Wow.

And here I've been pondering putting pen to paper (since I'm not seeing any obvious email addresses) to write to Diana Wynne Jones and tell her how utterly her kids' books rock, even rereading them 25 years later. Just finished rereading Witch Week, and feeling like going on a mad binge. I'd like to reread Spellcoats and Power of Three in particular, and The Homeward Bounders, and I understand that Fire and Hemlock is jam-packed with The Four Quartets references! Which I totally missed at the time...but which may explain why I instantly loved that particular poem(s), and why it felt like coming home upon first reading.

The reader whose letter you describe, however, is clearly a freaking Martian. Ack. I sort of want to bludgeon her to death (or at least pain) with a couple of Iain (M) Banks books.

...I'm trying to be reasonable, and accept that some (many?) people want their fiction to be pure comfortfood - some kind of narrative equivalent of Twinkies. And there is no reason why they should HAVE to enjoy green Thai curry, or creme brulle, or bitter chocolate, or a shot of cinnamon-flavoured stolli. They want Twinkies, and heaven forbid that they should find a burrito or a chocolate-coated banana hiding inside the Twinkie wrapper.

...er, perhaps it would be wise to abandon my metaphor at this point, since it has been pretty much beaten to death. Ahem. Still - I'm TRYING to allow them to want saccharine rubbish that never inspires any emotion more complex than a warm little glow of satisfaction.

But mostly, I'm still wanting to bludgeon them with a copy of Othello or something.